Best REITs in India 2026: Complete Guide with Returns, Yields & How to Buy

So you want to invest in Indian REITs but have no idea where to start? Good news: India now has 5 listed REITs you can buy on NSE just like stocks. No paperwork. No locking up money for years. Just quarterly payouts and real estate exposure from your Zerodha account.

This guide breaks down every listed Indian REIT, their returns, yields, and exactly which one makes sense for you.

Track live prices and metrics at Grounded.

What is a REIT and why should you care?

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) lets you own a piece of office buildings, malls, or business parks. You get rental income paid out as quarterly distributions. Think of it like a dividend-paying stock, but backed by physical property.

Indian REITs are required by SEBI to distribute at least 90% of their net cash flows. That means consistent payouts, not just price appreciation.

Quick Comparison: All 5 Indian REITs at a Glance

WALE = Weighted Average Lease Expiry. Higher means more stable long-term income. DPU = Distribution Per Unit.

1. Embassy Office Parks REIT (EMBASSY-RR)

Embassy is India's largest office REIT and the OG. Listed in 2019, it was the first REIT in India. With 51.6 million square feet of office space, it is massive.

Key properties: Embassy Manyata, Embassy TechVillage, Embassy GolfLinks (all in Bengaluru), and Embassy TechZone in Pune.

Key tenants: IBM, Google, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Cognizant. These are blue-chip global companies on long leases. That 8.4-year WALE means income is locked in for the long haul.

Who should buy this: If you want the safest, most established REIT in India, Embassy is it. The 12% historical XIRR and 14% DPU growth show it rewards long-term holders.

2. Mindspace Business Parks REIT (MINDSPACE-RR)

Mindspace has the best occupancy of any office REIT at 94.6%. When almost every desk is rented, distributions stay consistent. It is also the highest total-return REIT for office investors with a 14.8% XIRR since listing.

Key properties: Mindspace Madhapur in Hyderabad, Mindspace Airoli and The Square BKC in Mumbai, and Commerzone in Pune.

Key tenants: Qualcomm, Wipro, Cognizant, Schlumberger, Hitachi Energy. Strong tech and energy sector mix.

Who should buy this: Long-term investors who want the best risk-adjusted returns in office REITs. Lower yield at 5.1%, but the total returns make up for it.

3. Brookfield India REIT (BIRET-RR)

Brookfield offers the highest distribution yield among office REITs at 6.6%. It also has the fastest DPU growth at 17% year over year. The portfolio is focused on NCR and Kolkata markets.

Key properties: Candor TechSpace campuses in Gurugram, Noida, and Kolkata.

Key tenants: Accenture, Cognizant, Capgemini, Deloitte, Bharti Airtel. Heavy IT services exposure.

Who should buy this: Income-first investors who want the highest current yield. The 17% DPU growth is the best in class right now. Backed by global Brookfield Asset Management, so you get a professional sponsor with a long track record.

4. Nexus Select Trust (NXST-RR)

Nexus is different from the others. It is India's only publicly listed retail REIT. You are not buying office parks here. You are buying premium malls.

The 97% occupancy is extraordinary. Practically every shop in their malls is occupied. And the ~17% XIRR since listing in 2023 is the best of any Indian REIT.

Key properties: Select Citywalk in Delhi, Nexus Elante in Chandigarh, Nexus Seawoods in Mumbai, Nexus Koramangala in Bengaluru.

Key tenants: Zara, Lifestyle, PVR Inox, Shoppers Stop, H&M. These are destination retailers that drive footfall.

Who should buy this: Investors who believe India's consumption story is just getting started. If you think more Indians will shop at malls over the next decade, Nexus is your bet. The shorter WALE of 4.7 years is typical for retail leases and not a concern given occupancy.

5. Knowledge Realty Trust (KRT-RR)

Knowledge Realty Trust is the newest player, listed in August 2025. It is already India's second-largest REIT by portfolio size at 46.4 msf. The 8.1-year WALE is one of the highest, meaning income stability is baked in.

Key properties: Sattva Knowledge City in Hyderabad, Cessna Business Park in Bengaluru, One BKC in Mumbai.

Key tenants: Amazon, Google, Cisco, Goldman Sachs, PhonePe. An impressive roster for a new listing.

Who should buy this: Early-stage investors who want to get in before this REIT builds a longer track record. The 5.5% yield and top-tier tenant mix make it a solid pick. Since it just listed, there is no long XIRR history yet, but H1 DPU of Rs. 1.56 is a good start.

Which REIT is right for you?

How to buy Indian REITs

The easiest way is through Grounded:

1. Go to grounded-beige.vercel.app and scroll to "Start Investing"
2. Browse all 5 REITs with live prices and metrics side by side
3. Click "Add to basket" on the REITs you want
4. Open the basket, set your quantity for each
5. Click "Place order on Zerodha". It opens Zerodha with everything pre-filled.

Your basket is saved in your browser. Come back anytime and your draft order is still there. Grounded also checks market hours and NSE holidays before letting you place the order.

REITs are priced per unit, typically between ₹100 and ₹430. You can start with even a single unit. Want to invest ₹500 a day? Set up a Stock SIP on Zerodha and automate it.

Things to know before you invest

REIT distributions in India have a specific tax treatment. The interest component is taxed at your slab rate. The dividend component has TDS. Capital gains on selling units follow standard equity taxation rules (LTCG after 1 year at 12.5%, STCG at 20%).

REIT prices can go up or down with the market. The distributions are what make them valuable for income. Think of them as a long-term hold, not a quick flip.

Track all 5 REITs live

Grounded tracks live NSE prices, distribution yields, and key metrics for all 5 Indian REITs in one place. No need to check five different places.